Journey of a Man
by Ashitaki
Summary: She fell but he couldn't get up.
1. Chapter 1

The Journey of a Man

Hey, new story here. I own nothing of Inuyasha and the series' characters.

It was silent-save for the few rustles of paper. Rin sat behind the oval desk, just like every day, thumbing through one of her large textbooks.

"Mou~, maybe I should've taken chemistry last year instead," but the junior knew she wanted to take the art course the year before.

She sighed heavily and glanced at the cart filled with the returned books, knowing she'd have to lug all of them back to their rightful places. She pouted slightly then reluctantly left her spin chair. Her hands had just touched the handles when the double doored entrance swung open. Rin spun on her heel with a smile on her face. It faltered though, when her eyes met with Sesshoumaru Takahashi, the killing perfection. Like all the stories told, he demanded respect with his cool glare, his beautiful white hair that framed his chiseled face-

"-rny of a Man."

'S-shoot, what did he say? Oh, bad Rin.'

She was distracted! So she took a wild guess hoping to save at least some face.

"A-no, did you say you wanted The Journey of a Man?

He only nodded.

" T-this way then." Rin grasped the handles of the cart and pushed. On the inside she let out a large sigh of relief. 'Thank Kami'

She led Sesshoumaru to a secluded shelf.

"The book should be right here along with other books that might interest you."

He turned to the shelf and nodded. She smiled and turned to the shelf opposite, taking some books in hand. She began sliding the books in their places. It was an easy job, nothing strenuous. Another plus side was she stayed out the imposing aura of the demon beside her.

"L-717." She murmured. Rin had grabbed a heavy book and looked up warily at its intended place on the top shelf. She braced herself and grabbed the metal stool attached to the cart and elevated her toes. Even standing on a stool and on her tippy toes, her mere five foot height wasn't enough. That wouldn't stop her though. It wasn't like she could ask the dangerous demon next to her. That'd be so embarrassing!

So Rin reached and reached and reached! The stool wobbled but she was too focused. She'd finally touched the top of the shelf when she was suddenly falling back.

'Oh no!' She shut her eyes tight, waiting for the impact. She slammed into something hard-but not hard as in the ground. No, she would know the difference after countless times of falling. She knew the brittleness of the cheap carpet on her back. This time though, it was firm and she felt nothing brittle.

She slowly peeled her eyes open to come face to face with Sesshoumaru's, spiderman-style.

Sort of.

'Was it her or was the heater on just a little too high?' Rin and Sesshoumaru spent what seemed like a decade, staring.

'His eyes, pretty. I-is that red in his eyes?' she reached up to touch his face, to lost in curiosity and awe. Though he slightly flinched at the contact, he didn't pull away. His eyes were indeed flecked with red.

The shrill bell broke their stare and Rin shot up in embarrassment. Her face burned as she scurried from his lap to the front of the library. She sat behind the oval desk, facing away from the double doored entry and especially away from the silent demon passing through them. Rin waited for a minute to calm her heart before she collected her things and made her way to her class.

The next day, Rin stood nervously at the double doors. She'd just finished her fourth period and her nerves were rung as tight as a rag. She'd glanced over her shoulder more than once just to see if he was around.

No luck.

She braced herself and walked through the doors. Not as many people were there, all of them set in their old world. None with captivating gold eyes with red flecks though.

Sighing at her dramatization of the whole event, she organized herself at the oval desk and opened a new textbook. Several times during the lunch hour, she'd catch herself glancing at the double doors a little longer than needed, so she would quickly berate herself.

Her eyes skimmed the English text, not really absorbing the foreign words. The shrill reminder rang and she gathered her things solemnly.

"Oh Rin, reading all those romance novels have really gotten to you." She shuffled to her next class, through the sea of older and young students, not once looking up.

That was until she hit a hard shoulder.

"Nngh." She winced. Rin looks around to find her culprit but the hallway was filled with too many students.

"Mou~" She huffed.

Finally she'd made it to her class. Rin settled down to her seat after a series of "Hello's" and "How are you's".

She reached her desk and reached into her bag for materials. Her hands brushed upon paper that most certainly not there moments ago.

 _Steps After Us_ _is a more adequate resource for your Biology test._

The writing was beautiful although the note was somewhat unnerving. 'Who was this?' Rin knew the book though. If she decided to trust this newfound advice, she'd have to start reading immediately to be able to fit her other reading material.

The final bell rang, jolting Rin from her thoughts. She hurriedly sat down.

A week had passed and Rin had found her routine again. She picked up the new book and true to the beautiful words, it prepped her more "adequately".

Friday's lunch didn't seem any different. The bell rang; she came in, settled into her spinney chair behind her oval desk and cracked open her boo, already halfway done with it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, she'd stopped fantasizing Sesshoumaru would just show up. She figured after a week, he had better things to do and it wasn't like they had had a conversation, just prolonged eye contact. That's all.

Yea, that's all.

Even in her head, she sounded like a hopeless romantic.

Sighing, she shook her head and continued reading. Half the lunch had passed when one of the doors swung open. Rin looked up, ready to greet the newcomer with a smile.

Her smile faltered.

Man, this demon surprised her. In her head, she began to tally the accumulating number of surprises.

He passed casually and took a seat, taking his own reading miscellaneous materials out. She hid her face in her book. Face red, she occasionally looked over the hard cover to watch him.

Five minutes into her new hobby, he stood up. She squeaked and abruptly looked down.

She waited three minutes; she'd counted, before she slyly looked up. Sure enough he was back at his solitary seat. Rin sighed at her anxiety. Lowering her eyes to the desk, what was she expecting?

Her eyes landed on a small sheet of paper. 'Was that always there?'

 _This one, is pleased you enjoy the book._

It was the same beautiful handwriting. She only looked in awe, were they here? She stood up abruptly and began to look around furiously.

Then the bell rang and Rin's shoulders sagged in defeat.

Things would continue as it was except Sesshoumaru would spend his days at the library and occasionally a note or two would show up on Rin's desk. A month of this had passed, Rin had stopped hiding from Sesshoumaru and they had gone from strangers to somewhat comfortable friends. Rin conversed lightly with Sesshoumaru and he listened. Even she and her mystery writer changed their once routine. The notes changed from books to her, school, and even to him. She'd found all but his name.

They had just entered the halfway mark of two months when Sesshoumaru had stopped coming. It was abrupt. At first, she thought he was talking to his teachers. It was his last year; Rin assured herself he was getting his ducks in a row. Rin never saw him that lunch.

More lunch hours passed, Sesshoumaru stopped coming and eventually, even her occasional notes ceased. It was heartbreaking. Rin had thought she'd created something special with her two friends. She soldiered on though, even when students began to bully her.

It was random. At first, they were just tripping her, childish pranks. But then, they would push her, steal her shoes, and once, even a bucket of water was poured over her. After two and half months it had stopped. Rin's only sanctuary was the library. Even after the bullying had stopped, she thought it'd be safer to just stay in the library. So she buried herself in the library for three and half lonely months.


	2. Chapter 2

The Journey of a Man

It was three weeks before the end of her junior year; stowed away between her rolling chair and her oval desk with her personal books.

It was two weeks before the end of his senior year when he decided to enter through those double doors again. Just like their first encounter, her head rose to greet the newcomer with a polite smile and just like their first encounter, her smile faltered. As he walked toward her, she noticed the same silent demand for respect and maybe even, fear?

He stopped in front of Rin. A moment passed between them, maybe it was three. It was difficult to concentrate.

She put a kind a smile and with a steady voice, "Sesshoumaru-sama, did you still want The Journey of a Man? "

Although his face didn't show any twinge of change, Rin saw something akin to amusement in his golden eyes before they changed back to the cool façade.

He leaned slightly against her oval desk, "Perhaps not today. This Sesshoumaru-sama does however, have a request-" She could tell he was not, in the least, used to the word, "your company tonight."

Her ability to blush didn't think cheek coverage was sufficient, so it spread beautifully across her face. Rin only spluttered. Were her eyes spinning? She was flatter but-

"This Sesshoumaru shall pick you up after school."

Her mind took a double take as he coolly walked away from her beloved oval desk.

"No!" he stopped abruptly. Many occupants rounded sharply to harshly shush her, but she ignored them as she scrambled around her desk to him. He stood stationary, eyes wide, as she stopped short behind him.

"Y-you left! Three and a half months," She paused debating whether to even share or whether he even cared, "I-it was lonely!"

She fidgeted, "S-sorry, but please explain your absence before asking me out!"

With his back towards her, his formed a small version of a smile. "This Sesshoumaru will. Outside the gates when the bell rings. This one will be expecting you."

Rin watched as he smoothly walked away.

It'd been five minutes since the bell rang. Rin knew because she had checked after two, after four, and now at five. She leaned against the side of the gate, glancing up now and again towards the school. She hoped she could catch him as he walked through the wave of students, no such luck. She didn't know if she could hold out another anxious five minutes. She was already a fidgeting mess on the inside. Five more minutes and she'd be a mess on the outside too.

A finger tapped her and she turned abruptly. Intense gold looked down towards her. Had he always been this tall?

"Come."

Sesshoumaru had swiftly turned and walked toward a sleek black car. Rin wasn't very worried what type though; she was too concentrated on keeping up. His one step was her two!

He kindly opened the passenger door for her and then they were off- driving swiftly through traffic. The only view Rin had, though, were her hands. Her mind was racing with questions but her voice made not one peep throughout the whole ride.

The car slid to a smooth stop and Sesshoumaru gracefully exited the car. Rin piqued to attention and quickly unbuckled.

They entered a run-down restaurant, not an expensive restaurant but rather a hole in a wall. She smiled at the quaintness and giggled as the workers shouted a resounding 'Welcome!'

Her body grew tense as she felt a hand place itself on the middle of her back. She looked around only to realize it was Sesshoumaru gently trying to lead her to their solitary table. The tension left her body and she was smiling again.

"This one presumes this establishment is to your liking."

She nods.

Rin waited patiently though the seating process, the ordering, and the silence that followed halfway through dinner.

She listened to the apology first. Then to how, after a month of flitting around each other and exchanging notes- that was a surprise- he'd found a sense of peace and maybe joy with her; an emotion as foreign as asking permission. She listened to his father's abrupt need for him to physically be in the office to train- despite his impeccable work ethic he had while he was attending school. How he'd convinced his father, after two and a half months, to let him finish the year. His father had sent him back with a strange look but complied.

Sesshoumaru hesitated but then continued. He explained after two and a half months away from her, he couldn't bring himself to contact her. She listened as he recounted how he terminated the bullies as fast as he could but felt regret. He couldn't protect her.

He hung his head as low as Sesshoumaru, the killing perfection, could ever do.

Throughout this all, Rin listened. Over her cooling food, she smiled.

"Yes Sesshoumaru- sama." His head regained its average altitude, "I will go on a date with you." His eyes widened. And like nothing, the dynamic changed. Rin began to converse and talk and speak. Sesshoumaru, with content in his eyes, listened and answered appropriately. Waiters and customers were puzzled however, 'What had just happened?'

This young woman who shined naivety and pureness is just casually, maybe a little intimately, conversing with that of a demon! And a powerful one to boot!

But that's how their journey started.

"Rin Yasuhiro."

The aged man's voice boomed as Rin made her way to the large stage. Her lips spread wide as she shook the man's hand. She turned to wave and gazed towards the large crowd. As she walked off the stage, she could see Kagome and Sango in their respective seats with their own diplomas, both with crazy wide smiles. They had met during their third year but the trio clicked like puzzle pieces. She looked up to the supporters, glancing at Inuyasha who begrudgingly clapped next to Miroku as he vigorously clapped. You couldn't even tell Sesshoumaru was sitting with them or even with the weeping mothers as he looked on her; his air just as commanding as the day they met. Their eyes locked and she beamed even wider. His face didn't change but then again, it didn't need to.

More names passed like a blur. The formal celebration was over and Rin quickly met with her guardian, Kaede, her treasured family. Kaede doused Rin with praise and love.

"Dear child, we best be going, before traffic gets ugly. I fear Higurashi-san's dinner will not last."

Rin gazed lovingly at Kaede before they passed to connect with intense gold.

"Why don't you go ahead? I'll find a way."

Her body carried her towards the dog demon. Rin faintly registered the knowing chuckle from Kaede.

"Sesshoumaru-sama" He offered her hand and like all the other times, she took it. She followed as he guided her to his sleek black car. He held the door as she glided onto the leather seat.

The car started and slowly they pulled away from their high school.

Rin hummed a light tune as she laced their hands together.

"Ne, Sesshoumaru-sama, continue this journey with me?

Sesshoumaru gripped her hand tighter then softly kissed the back of her hand. A smile graced Rin's lips as she leaned her head against his shoulder.


End file.
